Tag Archives: BBC Natural History

BBC Tributes: Sir David Attenborough Turns 97

BBC (May 8, 2023) – Sir David Attenborough was born in London on May 8, 1926 and educated at Wyggeston Grammar School, Leicester, and Clare College, Cambridge where he took an honours degree in Natural Sciences. He did two years National Service in the Royal Navy and then spent some time on the editorial side of the University of London Press.

Sir David’s broadcasting career spans over 50 years. It began in 1952 when he joined BBC Television as a trainee and then became a producer working in the studios of Alexandra Palace in north London, from which the world’s first television service was broadcast. 

The BBC At 100: Nature And Sir David Attenborough

David Attenborough recounts some of his timeless moments exploring the natural world with BBC Studios’ dedicated Natural History Unit. From his first major series Zoo Quest in 1954 to the amazing advances in technology that have made shows like The Green Planet possible.

See BBC 100 Year Timeline

Following the closure of numerous amateur stations, the BBC starts its first daily radio service in London. After much argument, news is supplied by an agency, and music drama and “talks” fill the airwaves for only a few hours a day. It isn’t long before radio is heard across the nation. This black and white footage from 1922 is silent.